Manchester United striker Robin van Persie is set to be out of action for a while, the club’s manager Louis van Gaal has revealed.
The 31-year-old twisted his ankle during the final moments of Manchester United’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea last Saturday, and it appears that the injury he sustained will place him on the sidelines for a while. Speaking to the press, Van Gaal said: “He is injured. He is the only injured player I have, so we change (Michael) Carrick for Van Persie.
“He has an ankle problem. I don’t think it’s very heavy but an ankle problem takes a long time. It’s not one week or two weeks but we have to wait and see.”
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Radamel Falcao could be put in Van Persie’s place ahead of the club’s upcoming game against Sunderland, with Van Gaal saying that “when a striker is away, another striker has to play”. Van Gaal believes that the game is a crucial one for the club, with him previously stating that he thinks United, Southampton, Arsenal, Manchester City and Premier League leaders Chelsea are all in with a chance of claiming the top two places in the table, qualifying them for the Champion’s League.
“It is because of the rat race between five clubs that we have to win, we have to be there,” Van Gaal said of the Sunderland game, adding: “You have to win your matches because the other clubs are winning their matches.”
Van Persie has hardly had the most prolific of seasons, only netting 10 for United this season, a far cry from his first season in the club under the management of Alex Ferguson when he was crowned the league’s top goalscorer. Unfortunately, Falcao hasn’t been on his best form since moving to United on loan, so it remains to be seen how well the club will handle what should have been a relatively easy fixture against 16th place Sunderland.
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